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3 Ways to Build a Data-Driven Fleet

June 20, 2018

Tracking data is nothing new for the transportation industry. Telematics solutions began to appear on the scene 20 years ago, and now, adoption rates are as high as 64 percent. In an age of Big Data, there’s certainly no shortage of information out there. With data costs dropping and computing power on the rise, it’s possible to track more things at a lower cost and view holistic trends over many data points.

At Samsara, we’re on a mission to surface new insights that you can immediately apply to your business. Our sensors record billions of data points every year, aggregating and transmitting data from the physical world. Our software analyzes that data to provide actionable insights on areas such as fuel economy and asset utilization, helping you simplify your operations and revealing areas for improved efficiency.

We’ve seen firsthand how data insights help businesses of all sizes find answers to their most pressing questions, which tend to revolve around three core areas: cost savings, operational efficiency, and safety.

Cost savings

When Eran Blitzblau founded Blue Lightning Logistics, a national OTR truckload carrier, he noticed that he had no way of monitoring what the trailers were doing: either their location or their temperature. Eran said, “I saw that it was costing me 30 to 50 thousand dollars each year in rejected loads. I knew that something needed to be done.” After installing Samsara’s asset gateways and environmental monitors, the team is able to track its trailers in real time, protect its assets around the clock, and monitor trailer temperatures to maintain product quality and eliminate rejected loads.

Operational efficiency

California Trucking Company’s fleet frequently crosses the border into Mexico to bring maritime and rail containers from the cities of Tijuana and Mexicali to California and Las Vegas. The team found that they were wasting a lot time in line at customs. By using Samsara’s Time on Site report, they were able to see how long their trucks were spending at the crossing and then determine the best days and times to make the border crossing.

Safety

At Fames Transport, a United States Postal Service mail contractor, it was especially important to find out how safely their fleet was operating in order to win and maintain government contracts. When Francisco Escolero, VP of Operations, first installed Samsara’s vehicle gateways, he noticed that one of his drivers had a low safety score due to nearly two hours of driving above the speed limit and 40 harsh braking events. Within two weeks of installing dash cams, he saw an 18 percent improvement in safety score.

What are the burning questions about your fleet you want to solve? Now, more than ever, it’s possible to gather the data that allows you to take action and build a more cost effective, efficient, and safer fleet. Get in touch at sales@samsara.com.